Evolve

Evolve, a 2015 FPS, shows highly variable performance on the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile combination. The measured data reveals a system capable of high refresh rates at lower resolutions but one that struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K Ultra settings. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, focusing on how the CPU and GPU contribute to the experience across different presets and resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if I want to prioritize frame rate?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 190 FPS. This is the highest measured average in the dataset, making 1080p the best choice for maximum frame rates.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Evolve?

A: The system can run the game at 3840x2160, but frame rates are limited. The highest average at 4K is 72 FPS on Low settings. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 31 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Medium and Ultra presets?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 147 FPS on Medium to 80 FPS on Ultra, a decrease of 67 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average drops from 99 FPS to 54 FPS. At 4K, it drops from 56 FPS to 31 FPS.

Q: Which component is more critical for performance in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the average is just 31 FPS, which indicates the GPU is heavily taxed. The CPU, with its high multi-core score, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at lower settings, as evidenced by the 190 FPS result at 1080p Low.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX has an average benchmark score of 63173, placing it in the 93rd percentile. It performs nearly identically to the Intel Core i7-13790F, with a delta of 0.1%. It is also 0.7% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX and 0.5% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185.

Q: What is the frame time variance like on the Medium preset?

A: The data includes minimum and maximum FPS for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the average is 147 FPS with a range from 125 to 169 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average is 99 FPS with a range from 84 to 113 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average is 56 FPS with a range from 48 to 65 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz and it can boost up to 5.30 GHz. It also has a substantial 30 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 40642 and a single-core score of 5737. Its PassMark multithread score is 47985, and its single-thread score is 4500. With an average benchmark score of 63173, it sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Evolve, this processor's performance is more than adequate. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 190 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of handling the game's logic and physics calculations without becoming a bottleneck. The game, released in 2015, is unlikely to stress a modern 20-core processor heavily.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is remarkably tight. It is 0.1% faster than the Intel Core i7-13790F and 0.7% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX. This suggests that any of these processors would deliver nearly identical performance in a CPU-bound scenario within Evolve. The data indicates that the CPU's role here is to provide a stable foundation, allowing the GPU to be the deciding factor in overall frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this hardware. The primary goal is to maintain a frame rate that matches the display's refresh rate, but the data shows a wide range of results.

For a competitive or high-refresh-rate experience, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only option that provides a significant headroom, averaging 190 FPS. This is the best choice for maximizing performance. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 127 FPS, which is also excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors.

For a balance between visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the most versatile. At 1920x1080, it delivers a very smooth 147 FPS average. At 2560x1440, it maintains a solid 99 FPS average. The frame time data for this preset shows a minimum of 125 FPS at 1080p and 84 FPS at 1440p, indicating consistent performance without major stutters. This preset seems to be the sweet spot for this combo.

The High preset is a viable option for 1080p and 1440p gaming. It achieves 115 FPS at 1080p and 77 FPS at 1440p. While lower than Medium, these are still playable frame rates. However, at 4K, the High preset drops to 44 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this game and hardware. At 1080p, it averages 80 FPS, which is playable but not optimal. At 1440p, it drops to 54 FPS. At 4K, it is effectively unplayable, with an average of just 31 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra settings is too high relative to the visual gains.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile combo is ranked 2003rd out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is a significant data point.

This ranking might seem low given the individual components' performance. However, it must be considered that the ranking is specific to this game. Evolve is a title from 2015, and its engine may not scale efficiently with newer hardware architectures. The RTX 4070 Mobile, while a powerful GPU, might not be fully utilized by this older game engine.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores help contextualize this. It has a PassMark G3D score of 19587 and an average benchmark score of 27435, placing it in the 73rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, has a delta of 0%, meaning they are virtually identical in synthetic performance. Yet, in Evolve, the combo's rank suggests that the game's performance is not directly correlated with these raw compute numbers. The ranking indicates that while the hardware is capable, it is not in the top tier for this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is the dominant component in this analysis. It is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1695 MHz. The GPU has 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs.

The GPU's role becomes apparent when examining the performance scaling with settings. The data clearly shows that this is a GPU-bound scenario in Evolve. At 4K, the frame rates are heavily constrained by the GPU's processing power. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K is 41 FPS (72 vs. 31), demonstrating the GPU's workload is the primary factor.

At 1080p, the GPU is less of a bottleneck, allowing the CPU to push high frame rates. The 190 FPS average on Low settings suggests the GPU can still handle the workload at that resolution. However, the GPU's limitations are evident at higher resolutions. The 8 GB of VRAM might also be a factor at 4K with Ultra textures, although the data does not provide specific VRAM usage. The synthetic benchmark scores show it is a mid-to-high-tier mobile GPU, and its performance in Evolve aligns with that classification, being capable but not exceptional.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the performance is as follows:

• Low: Average 190 FPS.
• Medium: Average 147 FPS, with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS.
• High: Average 115 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 80 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down:

• Low: Average 127 FPS.
• Medium: Average 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS.
• High: Average 77 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 54 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the most constrained:

• Low: Average 72 FPS.
• Medium: Average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS.
• High: Average 44 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 31 FPS.

These numbers show a clear and consistent pattern. Each step up in settings results in a significant drop in average FPS. The data also shows that the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating a more stable frame time in those tests. The absolute lowest performance is at 4K Ultra at 31 FPS, while the highest is at 1080p Low at 190 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system.

At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 190 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p, and finally to 72 at 4K. This is a drop of 63 FPS (33%) from 1080p to 1440p, and a further drop of 55 FPS (43%) from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 118 FPS, a 62% reduction.

At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 147 at 1080p to 99 at 1440p, and then to 56 at 4K. This is a drop of 48 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and 43 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The total drop is 91 FPS, a 62% reduction.

At High settings, the average FPS drops from 115 at 1080p to 77 at 1440p, and then to 44 at 4K. This is a drop of 38 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and 33 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The total drop is 71 FPS, a 62% reduction.

At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 80 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p, and then to 31 at 4K. This is a drop of 26 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and 23 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The total drop is 49 FPS, a 61% reduction.

The consistent ~62% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K across all settings is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. The workload scales with the number of pixels, and the GPU is unable to maintain performance as the resolution increases. The CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution, so the linear scaling of the FPS drop points directly to the GPU being the primary constraint in this game.